Affairs with Old Houses: Personal Stories About Preserving Heritage Houses in Nova Scotia

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

You can almost smell the dry rot as you wade into these tales from the
restoration frontlines. Sixteen homeowners recount, in their own words,
what it was like to grapple with a century or more of decay and come out
with a heritage home, its charm and uniqueness once again revealed.

The 16 featured properties are scattered across Nova Scotia, from
downtown Halifax to tiny Maitland, from Cape Breton to Shelburne,
Amherst to Lunenburg. There is a mix of rehabilitation (making
habitable) and restoration (returning to its original state at a
specific period). Bringing an old house back to life is expensive,
time-consuming, and demanding of all the finer qualities of human
nature, such as patience, resourcefulness, perseverance, the refusal to
accept defeat, and an unlimited bank account. In these first-hand
accounts, those who have seen the plaster crumble share their
experiences, setbacks, wonderful discoveries, and final triumphs.

For anyone drawn to old houses, this collection (which includes an
extensive introduction) has the can’t-put-it-down appeal of a popular
novel.